On the morning of Wednesday, May 6, 2025, Phra Racha Mongkol Wachirdhamma Wichai (Luang Pu Boonma Kampheerthammo) of Wat Pa Sihphonem in Sakon Nakhon province passed away peacefully. He had been receiving medical treatment for illness at his quarters within the temple, with doctors attending to him, but due to his advanced age, recovery was beyond medical capability. This loss deeply saddens the community. He was a forest meditation practitioner of profound virtue, a refuge for villagers and people throughout the region, whose heart was filled with compassion. He devoted himself to serving Buddhism for many decades. Born on Monday, October 1, 1928, in Ban Kham, Sakon Nakhon province, to parents named Khaeng and Chada Thiam-umphorn, he completed primary education before leaving school to help his parents farm rice at age 17. He ordained briefly to study Buddhist teachings for one rain season, but World War II forced him to return to help his family farm. He later married, had one child, and lived a worldly life until a series of family tragedies—the death of his sister, his mother, and his wife—led him to contemplate mortality and the impermanence of life. Realizing that making merit before death would create support for the future, he decided to ordain. He gave his son to his in-laws to raise and entered Wat Phra Thaduthon in June 1951. He took full ordination on July 10, 1951, at age 24 at Wat Bodhisombhorn in Udon Thani, receiving the ecclesiastical name "Kampheerthammo," meaning "one of profound dharma." He studied with Luang Pu Singh Sahadhamma at Wat Phra Thaduthon, practicing intensive meditation without sleep during night hours for three full months. After his rain season retreat, he traveled to study with revered forest masters including Luang Pu Khao Anallayo and Luang Pu Luy Chanthasaro. From 1971, he spent twenty-nine rain seasons in various forest retreats with his teacher Luang Pu Kamboo Thammadharo, meditating in remote locations known as places of mysterious phenomena, alternating with periods returning to his teachers. From 1980 onward, he permanently remained at Wat Pa Sihphonem.

On May 8, Chanat Ranuruk, coordinator of the "Model Rangsit Anti-Corruption" group, submitted official documentation and evidence to Rangsit Municipality in Pathum Thani regarding election fraud in a community leader vote held on April 26. The group presented video clips, eyewitness testimony, and photographs clearly showing vote-buying and influence-peddling in the Prempridi community, home to over 2,000 residents across 1,200 households. Chanat warned that if the corruption succeeds unchecked, it could set a dangerous precedent affecting more than 50 upcoming community elections across the municipality.

Chanat explained that the group has worked for 10 years collecting evidence while protecting residents' identities. He stated that while the municipality is responsible for investigation, the group will pursue legal action under Article 157 if authorities fail to act. He emphasized that allowing money and influence to undermine community-level democracy is destructive and must be prevented.

Deputy Mayor Wannachai Ittimonirisiri acknowledged receiving the complaint and explained that the municipality traditionally stays out of individual campaigning to avoid bias, creating a vulnerability that enabled this corruption. The municipality will now accelerate its investigation, establish a committee to oversee the matter, and consult with relevant authorities for proper procedures to restore public confidence.

Prime Minister Anutotin Charnvirakul presented three ASEAN strategies during the 48th ASEAN Summit informal retreat session (Retreat Session) on May 8, 2025, at the Shangri-La Mactan hotel in the Philippines. Following the meeting, government spokesman Ratchada Thanadirek disclosed the key points:

The Prime Minister emphasized that discussions confirmed a shared understanding that global conditions are rapidly changing. Events in the Middle East are not isolated crises but part of an increasingly volatile and unpredictable world. The international order and multilateral system that nations have long relied upon are undergoing significant transformation, and the world will never be the same. This is a reality all countries must confront together.

For ASEAN, long-held regional principles—including dialogue, restraint, and peaceful dispute resolution—can no longer be taken for granted but require deliberate reinforcement. The Prime Minister stressed that ASEAN cannot maintain a passive posture but must actively respond to various challenges with greater agility and foresight.

The Prime Minister presented three strategic approaches for ASEAN:

1. Strengthening Regionalism: ASEAN's strength lies in unity, but unity does not occur automatically. Member states must transcend narrow national interests, prioritize regional common interests, and take concrete coordinated action. Practically, ASEAN must develop more efficient coordination mechanisms and decision-making processes, as rapid and unified action during crises is critical. With challenges becoming increasingly interconnected, ASEAN regionalism must be more integrated and comprehensive.

2. Resilience: The core is maintaining ASEAN Centrality, which requires member states to keep ASEAN at the center of their foreign policies. Resilience also means managing tensions before they escalate into crises. ASEAN retains strength in promoting comprehensive dialogue with all parties, supported by stronger and more concrete ASEAN mechanisms for crisis coordination and cooperation that build trust and reduce tensions.

3. Relevance: ASEAN must maintain its status as a trusted and reliable partner to the international community, engage with regional challenges, and work with like-minded partner countries to support multilateralism and a rules-based international order. Ultimately, ASEAN's relevance depends on delivering concrete improvements in people's quality of life, economic opportunities, and well-being through regional and economic integration.

The Prime Minister also addressed the situation in Myanmar as a critical test case for ASEAN.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pornpisun Promsivapallab, Dean of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism at Phuket University, reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the faculty's success, which represents both pride and responsibility as the Hospitality & Leisure Management program earns international recognition and advances toward the global TOP100 ranking by 2026.

Dr. Pornpisun emphasized, "I want to stress that this success doesn't come from any single individual's efforts, but rather from the collective commitment of all stakeholders—the university, administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, industry partners, and both domestic and international collaborators. This represents both our pride and our responsibility. Now that we've achieved global recognition, the most important thing is to maintain these standards and continue developing them without pause."

This achievement marks tremendous pride for the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism at Songkhla Nakharin University's Phuket campus, as it clearly reflects that the faculty's continuous quality development across all dimensions has gained concrete international recognition. For the faculty, this success means achieving academic quality recognition from the academic community both domestically and internationally, as well as recognition for graduate quality from the hospitality and tourism industry—something the faculty is immensely proud of because it has consistently emphasized both academic excellence and graduates' practical workplace readiness.

The faculty has also demonstrated its ability to develop internationalization and international-standard quality across all organizational aspects, including curricula, teaching and learning, research, faculty development, collaborative networks, and academic contributions to international platforms. At the national level, this achievement shows that Thailand possesses not only strong tourism and service resources but also the potential to develop educational institutions capable of producing high-quality human resources, generating knowledge, and elevating Thailand's tourism and service industry standards to international recognition.

Key factors enabling the faculty to achieve world-class recognition include systematic and continuous quality development across multiple dimensions. Starting with a clear vision toward international standards in academia, professionalism, and industry linkages, the faculty has seriously prioritized faculty development, research, and academic work by integrating research-derived knowledge, international experience, and industry collaboration into modern, practical teaching. The faculty has implemented high-impact international projects, achieved international curriculum accreditations such as TEDQUAL and AUN-QA, and promoted faculty development in academic competencies and international teaching standards like UKPSF.

Another crucial factor is creating genuine internationalization through diverse students and faculty, exchange programs, Double Degree Programs, invitations for world-class visiting professors, and positioning the faculty as a Hub of Global Experts in Hospitality and Tourism. Simultaneously, the faculty maintains strong collaboration with businesses and the tourism and service industry, ensuring curricula and teaching align with current industry needs.

Haze and PM2.5 dust in Northern Thailand remain a major challenge affecting both public health and tourism. Addressing this issue requires serious and sustained cooperation from all sectors.

One innovative and well-received initiative is the 'Leaf-for-Egg Market' in San Kamphaeng District, Chiang Mai Province, which successfully integrates environmental conservation with community lifestyle.

This simple idea, developed through collaboration between San Kamphaeng District and Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF), which operates chicken farms in the area, invites residents to exchange dried leaves for fresh eggs, helping reduce burning and PM2.5 dust. The dried leaves are converted into compost distributed to the community, while also helping reduce household expenses.

The 'Leaf-for-Egg Market' creates community participation among San Kamphaeng residents, held every Wednesday from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM at the San Kamphaeng District Office from March 4 to May 27, 2025, under the slogan 'San Kamphaeng doesn't burn; bring dried leaves to exchange for eggs; smoke and forest fires stay far away; everyone breathes easy.'

Already in its tenth week, the activity remains vibrant. Residents queue from morning with dried leaves collected from homes and gardens to exchange for eggs at a rate of 2 kilograms per egg. Daily exchanges are limited to 20 kilograms (10 eggs) per person.

During the event, Siva Thamikanan, Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai Province, and Kanesh Kamnan, San Kamphaeng District Officer, launched the market and conducted leaf-processing activities to add value, including producing leaf plates and compost from leaf waste. The District Agricultural Office handles production before distributing to residents for agricultural use, reducing costs and improving soil health long-term.

San Kamphaeng residents report the initiative delivers 'more than expected'—reducing burning in the community while cutting household expenses on eggs for cooking. Many hope the program continues.

What were once dried leaves awaiting burning have become a small but powerful community force, reducing PM2.5 and air pollution while demonstrating that small behavioral changes can create genuine positive environmental impact.

The Bank of Thailand (BoT) has announced it is extending the relaxation of LTV (Loan-to-Value) lending standards for an additional year, effective from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, allowing homebuyers to secure mortgage loans at 100% of the property's appraised value across all contract types and price ranges to stimulate the real estate sector.

The BoT revealed on May 8, 2026 that it is preparing to announce the temporary extension of lending guidelines for residential mortgages and related credit (LTV standards) for one more year, expanding the timeline from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. This measure aims to support the real estate sector and stimulate employment across related supply chains.

The BoT observes that the real estate market continues to experience slowdown with high inventory levels. Additionally, the sector faces mounting pressure from geopolitical risks, particularly the Middle East conflicts, which impact construction costs, buyer demand, and confidence among both households and businesses—potentially causing severe contraction and slow recovery in the real estate sector.

Key Details of the LTV Relaxation: The new standards will apply to loan contracts executed from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 with the following provisions:

- The LTV ceiling is set at 100% for all cases, whether for residential properties valued below 10 million baht or 10 million baht and above, covering first, second, and subsequent mortgages - For residential construction on unencumbered land owned by the borrower, the 100% LTV ceiling also applies - For first mortgages with collateral value below 10 million baht, additional related credit may be extended up to 10% of the collateral value - The directive applies to all financial institutions including commercial banks, finance companies, and specialized financial institutions (SFIs) such as Government Savings Bank, Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), Government Housing Bank (GHB), SME Bank, EXIM Bank, and the Small Industry Credit Guarantee Corporation

The BoT expects financial institutions to maintain sound credit underwriting standards aligned with responsible lending principles, exercising prudence without encouraging excessive household debt or speculative activity in the real estate market.

The BoT is confident that this relaxation will not significantly increase systemic financial risk, as financial institutions remain cautious in lending amid tight financial conditions, and there are currently no unusual signs of speculative behavior.